Welcome to 'just old flies,' a section of methods and flies that
used-to-be. These flies were tied with the only materials
available. Long before the advent of 'modern' tying
materials, they were created and improved upon at a
far slower pace than todays modern counterparts;
limited by materials available and the
tiers imagination.

Once long gone, there existed a 'fraternity' of anglers
who felt an obligation to use only the 'standard' patterns
of the day. We hope to bring a bit of nostalgia to these pages and to
you. And sometimes what you find here will not always be
about fishing. Perhaps you will enjoy them. Perhaps you
will fish the flies. Perhaps?

Snelling Wet Flies

Compiled by Deanna Lee Birkholm

From time to time we receive requests for instructions
on how to produce a gut snelled hook, especially by those
tying the "old" flies who want to have the whole
presentation authentic. The following is from
The ART of FLY TYING by Chas. M.
Wetzel, published in 1936.

"We will now proceed to form the loop in the short
gut snell. Refer to Fiqs. 1,2, 3, 4, 5, which
illustrate the tying of this knot. First soak the
gut in water to soften it; then hold loop at point
A, Fig. I, with thumb and first finger of left hand.
Grasp end B with thumb and first finger of right
hand and form the second loop, holding it at point
A, See Fig 2. This will be the size of the finished
loop. Then again with thumb and first finger of right
hand at B, take this remaining end and lay it across
and between the two loops previously formed as shown
in Fig. 3. Now with the dubbing needle in the right
hand and from the back, reach through the first loop
formed, grasp the second loop (point C, Fig. 3.) and
pull it through— meanwhile releasing point A and holding
with left hand at B and D until loop is tightened. Fig.
4 illustrates the second loop being pulled through the
first. Trim off end B and the loop is complete. The
length of snell should be from 4 to 4 1/2" long. See Fig. 5."

Credits: From The Art of Fly Tying by
Chas. M. Wetzel. Thanks to William Fitzgerald for sending
a copy of this wonderful booklet! By the way, can you name
this knot?